Margaret Groening—Who Inspired Marge Simpson—Dead at 94

Matt Groening's mom may be gone, but the character on The Simpsons named after her will live on for all of TV eternity.

Margaret Groening, who inspired the cartoon mastermind to create family matriarch Marge Simpson on The Simpsons, has died at the age of 94.

The news was first announced in an obituary published in Portland's Oregonian, Groening's hometown newspaper, which stated that the elder Groening passed away peacefully in her sleep on April 22 in Portland.

According to the obit, Margaret, whose parents hailed from Norway, was a high school valedictorian whose highest honor was being named May Queen of Linfield College. After graduating in 1941, she married classmate Homer Groening, "whom she chose because he made her laugh the most."

Matt's mother and father provided him with monikers for his fictional 'toon family, though as the Oregonian reported, Margaret often stated in interviews she never went by "Marge."

But that didn't stop Simpsons fans from taking to the Oregonian's guest book to express their condolences and remember her as the doting mom who served as muse to her beloved fictional alter ego voiced by Julie Kavner.

"Rest in Peace Ms. Groening. From watching The Simpsons since childhood, I can tell you were the puzzle piece that held the whole family together," wrote one Netizen in tribute.

"You raised millions of families across the world. RIP," read a heartfelt note from another.

Other Simpsons characters which Matt Groening has named after family members include Lisa, Maggie and Springfield's chief of police, Chief Wiggum (named after Margaret's parents, Matt and Ingeborg Wiggum). Bart's the sole exception, being an anagram for brat.